Rough Seas
by DreamingIce
Summary: Series of vigs featuring the crew of the HMAS Hammersley. Various characters & pairings. Nonchronological order. Vig 2: Spider consider's his mistakes on ANZAC Day, also remembering a fallen mate. Set Post-Heaven Born Captains.
1. Never Tell: KateMike

**Never Tell**

A glimpse into Kate's mind when she saw the Hammersley was in trouble in Episode 9. Understated Kate/Mike.

* * *

"X! Fire!"

Buffer's exclamation cut through her previous thoughts in a nanosecond. Whirling away from the suddenly and suspiciously defensive Rick, she saw something that she had hoped she'd never see.

_Hammersley _floundering with smoke coming from it.

She ordered the boarding crew back to the _Hammersley _on the instinct that years in the Navy had honed to perfection. If some one had called her on it later, she wouldn't have been able to recall her words.

Her first thought wasn't about the wellbeing of the crew still on board, but of just one man. And it would stay that way until Kate saw that he was safe and unhurt.

Nothing could stop her blurting out her concern when she saw Mike, sweaty, filthy from head to toe, but seemingly unharmed. His short clipped reply belatedly jolting her into awareness of the others who had been in equal danger.

Then he'd started to reprimand her for coming back—especially without Ursula Morell. That came like a kick in the guts, although after his reaction to her being on the _Mariner_, she later supposed that she shouldn't have been surprised by it. But at that instant, she couldn't help her sharp retort back.

"But Sir, the ship was on _fire!_" At least that argument held merit, and she knew that Buffer would have returned to the ship had he been in command of the boarding party. And this way she could pretend to ignore the heated feelings racing through her chest: worry and jealous being chief among them.

Their eyes locked for a moment before looking sharply away again, both keenly aware of everything they saw in each others eyes, everything they would never say to each other.

* * *

**Fin**

Feed back is love.


	2. Dawn Service: Spider

**A/N: Yep, I actually did another one. Finally. This is set after _Heaven Born Captains _(2x04) and Spider's flag stunt (during which I really wanted to hit him. Or somehow manipulate Bomber to hit him.) I also thought that Buffer's words tied in very nicely with ANZAC Day today, and it struck me that it was this episode last year that we said goodbye to Jaffah. So, I rolled them all together somewhat, and this is the result. **

**Enjoy!**

**Dawn Service**

Spider had never really relished the thought of getting up for the dawn service on ANZAC Day as a kid. His parent's would have to drag him out of bed on the years that they went to a dawn service, and the half-awake boy wouldn't pay a whole lot of attention to the ceremony.

In some ways, Spider looked back on that with a sense of guilt. It wasn't really until he'd joined the Navy that he'd started to comprehend the price that so many Australian had paid for freedom and security. And even then, it wasn't until he was posted to the Hammersley—been in a fire fight, watched a friend and crewmate die, seen others injured and been injured himself, and seen the worst kinds of people who's only intent is to hurt others—that he really understood what the day was for.

That, and he'd gotten used to being woken at what other people would call 'insanely early' hours of the morning, which definitely made it easier. And this year, he was determined to be there. To remember Jaff, as well as men who'd died, and returned, so many years ago.

The rest of Hammersley's crew was just arriving when Spider reached the memorial where the service would be held. He avoided the CO, the memory of the fury and disappointment in the Captain's eyes as he was reprimanded for the now embarrassing incident with the French flag a fortnight ago. Spider was still wondering how he could have been so stupid, and also why he didn't at least listen to Bomber when he'd had the chance.

Through the service, Spider couldn't keep his eyes off the Australian flag hanging overhead. Buffer's words from a fortnight ago rang in his head. _"It's a pretty powerful symbol, the flag. We rally around it. We celebrate with it. We fight under it. We cover our dead heroes with it." _

He thought back to Jaff's send off, him and Swain carrying his body off the ship—covered with the flag.

He shook his head again. _I'm suc an Idiot_, he thought.

Spider, along with all the other Navy members present, stood to attention as the Ode was read.

"_They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:  
__Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.  
__At the going down of the sun and in the morning  
__We will remember them."_

As the last post played, Spider thought of his old friend.

"Well, Jaff, both apply to you, eh? You were a hero, and we'll all still remember you," he said softly, gazing at the memorial, and the wreaths that adorned it for the day.

**_Fin._**


End file.
